Religion News: Russian Christians taking stand against Putin

Thursday

Jul 14, 2016 at 2:01 AM

More Content Now

WEEK IN RELIGIONRussian Christians are praying and fasting in hopes of keeping their religious freedoms in tact. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that bans all evangelism outside of churches and thousands of churches in Russia have come together to fast and pray that the law is repealed. The law, which takes affect on July 20, states that no religious proselytizing can occur in Russia except with a license; and then, only within the four walls of a government-recognized church building. The law is aimed at protecting the country from terrorism, but ultimately restricts all religious preaching and teaching outside of church buildings. According to reports, some Christians have stated that they will defy the law and keep evangelizing. — More Content Now

SURVEY SAYSMost Americans still believe in GodNearly 90 percent of Americans say the believe in God, but those numbers are decreasing according to a new Gallup Poll. The survey, which was conducted from May 4-8 and June 14-23, found that nine in 10 Americans believe in God or say they either believe in God or are unsure, but the percentages are down compared to years past (94 to 96 percent in 1994). — More Content Now

GOOD BOOK?“It’s Dangerous to Believe: Religious Freedom and Its Enemies” by Mary EberstadtIn “It’s Dangerous to Believe,” Mary Eberstadt documents how people of faith — especially Christians who adhere to traditional religious beliefs — face widespread discrimination in today’s increasingly secular society. Eberstadt details how recent laws, court decisions, and intimidation on campuses and elsewhere threaten believers who fear losing their jobs, their communities, and their basic freedoms solely because of their convictions. They fear that their religious universities and colleges will capitulate to aggressive secularist demands. They fear that they and their families will be ostracized or will have to lose their religion because of mounting social and financial penalties for believing. They fear they won’t be able to maintain charitable operations that help the sick and feed the hungry.— Harper

THE WORDordination: The process of authorizing a person to perform ministry in an official capacity for a specific religious organization, usually Christian or Jewish. — ReligionStylebook.com